Guzmania hybrid named ‘METEOR’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct  Guzmania  hybrid named ‘METEOR’ characterized by solid growth habit; funnel-form rosette plant, measuring about 42 cm to 48 cm in height (above the pot when flowering); numerous, green color foliage, measuring about 32 cm to 38 cm in length and about 3.4 cm to 4.6 cm in width; superior floral bract production; bracts have a unique, compound red inflorescence (closest to RHS  46 A) which distinguishes this cultivar from typical  Guzmania;  compound inflorescence, measuring about 7 cm in height and about 15 cm in diameter; and long-lasting habit.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new, distinct and stable hybrid of Guzmania hybrid, hereinafter referred to as ‘METEOR’. The present invention relates to seeds which are the Guzmania hybrid ‘METEOR’, as well as, plants and plant parts produced by these seeds which have all of the morphological and physiological characteristics of the Guzmania hybrid ‘METEOR’. The present invention also relates to methods for producing these seeds and plants of the Guzmania hybrid ‘METEOR’. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method of producing progeny Guzmania plants by crossing Guzmania ‘METEOR’, as either the female or seed or male or pollen parent, with another Guzmania plant and selecting progeny.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new, distinct and stable hybrid of Guzmania hybrid, and hereinafter referred to by the variety denomination ‘METEOR’. The new Guzmania ‘METEOR’ originated from a cross made in a controlled breeding program by the inventors in 1997, and then first flowered in 2001, in Assendelft, The Netherlands. The female or seed parent is the Guzmania blassii inbred line identified by code 97796126 (unpatented). The male or pollen parent is the Guzmania lingulata inbred line identified by code 97796143 (unpatented).

Guzmania is a member of the Bromeliaceae family. Guzmania is predominantly epiphytic with a few terrestrial species and is native to the tropics. For the most part, species vary in diameter from 7 or 8 inches to 3 or 4 feet and have rosettes of glossy, smooth-edged leaves.

Floral bracts of Guzmania frequently have brilliant colors and may last for many months. The range of colors for Guzmania is generally from yellow through orange but may also include flame red and red-purple. White or yellow, tubular, three-petalled flowers may also appear on a stem or within the leaf rosette but are usually short-lived.

Guzmania may be advantageously grown as pot plants for greenhouse or home use. Typically, the plants are shaded from direct sunlight. During the spring to autumn period, the central vase-like part of the leaf rosette is normally filled with water.

Guzmania is native to tropical America. Leaves of Guzmania are usually formed as basal rosettes which are stiff and entire and in several vertical ranks. Guzmania plants have terminal spikes or panicles which are often bracted with petals united in a tube about as long as the calyx. The ovary is superior and the seeds plumose.

Asexual propagation of Guzmania is frequently performed by vegetative means through the use of tissue culture practices. Propagation of Guzmania can also be from offshoots which can be detached from the mother plant and grown in an appropriate soil or bark mixture.

Methods for cultivation and crossing of Guzmania are well known. For a detailed discussion, reference is made to the following publications, which are incorporated herein by reference: Benzing, David H., THE BIOLOGY OF THE BROMELIADS, Mad River Press, Inc., Eureka (1980); Zimmer, Karl, BROMELIEN, Verlag, Paul Parey, Berlin (1986); and Rauh, Werner, BROMELIEN, Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (1981).

A Guzmania inbred is produced by brother/sister crossing over several generations to produce a genetically homozygous plant selection. A hybrid cultivar is produced by crossing two genetically distinct inbred lines, collecting seeds produced by the cross, and germinating seeds so-produced to make hybrid plants. The hybrid seeds and plants produced by this method are uniform with respect their morphological and physiological characteristics.

A need exists for a greater variety of Guzmania cultivars with attractive ornamental features. Additionally, a need exists for additional Guzmania hybrid cultivars that can be easily propagated by seed. The new Guzmania ‘METEOR’ was developed through a controlled breeding program and exhibits unique, desirable and stable characteristics.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides Guzmania plant selections that are solid, medium-sized, long-lasting hybrids with superior bract production and red inflorescence that exhibits good keeping quality. The present invention also provides Guzmania plant selections with a compound inflorescence with a unique red color which distinguishes the new cultivar from typical Guzmania.

These and other objectives have been achieved in accordance with the present invention which provides ‘METEOR’ as a new Guzmania cultivar that is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the inventors, Elly Bak and Nico D. M. Steur, in Assendelft, The Netherlands, in 1997. The female or seed parent is the Guzmania blassii inbred line identified by code 97796126 (unpatented). The male or pollen parent is the Guzmania lingulata inbred line identified by code 97796143 (unpatented).

Both parental cultivars have a sufficient degree of homozygosity such that the progeny of the cross are genetypically and phenotypically uniform. The new hybrid ‘METEOR’ therefore can be produced by sexual reproduction by crossing the parental inbred lines identified by the codes 97796126 and 97796143 to produce a population of progeny plants, each of which has the combination of characteristics as herein disclosed for the new hybrid ‘METEOR’.

Seeds which are the hybrid ‘METEOR’ are produced by crossing the parental inbred lines identified by the codes 97796126 and 97796143, and are deposited with the American Type Culture Collection, 10801 University Boulevard, Manassas, Va. 20110-2209. 2500 seeds were deposited with the ATCC on Dec. 2, 2008 and accorded ATCC Patent Deposit Designation No. PTA-9646.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to seeds which produce Guzmania hybrid ‘METEOR’. The present invention also relates to Guzmania plants, and parts thereof, having all the physiological and morphological characteristics of Guzmania hybrid ‘METEOR’. The present invention relates to a plant produced from seeds which are Guzmania hybrid ‘METEOR’. The present invention also relates to plant parts, such as pollen, seeds or inflorescence produced by Guzmania hybrid ‘METEOR’.

The present invention relates to a method of producing seed which are Guzmania hybrid ‘METEOR’, by crossing Guzmania blassii inbred line identified by code 97796126 (unpatented) as the female or seed parent with Guzmania lingulata inbred line identified by code 97796143 (unpatented) as the male or pollen parent, and the reciprocate cross with 97796143 as the female parent and 97796126 as the male parent, and harvesting seeds produced from said crosses.

The present invention also relates to a method of producing plants having all the physiological and morphological characteristics of the Guzmania hybrid ‘METEOR’ comprising the steps of (a) crossing Guzmania blassii inbred line identified by code 97796126 (unpatented) as the female or seed parent with Guzmania lingulata inbred line identified by code 97796143 (unpatented) as the male or pollen parent; (b) harvesting seeds produced from said cross; and (c) producing plants from said harvested seeds.

The present invention also relates to producing progeny plants from the cross of Guzmania hybrid ‘METEOR’, as the female or male parent, with another Guzmania plant, and selecting progeny plants from this cross.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The patent or application file contains at least one drawing executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application publication with color drawings will be provided by the Office upon request and payment of the necessary fees.

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Guzmania hybrid ‘METEOR’ showing the colors as true as is reasonably possible with colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describes the color of ‘METEOR’.

FIG. 1 shows a side view perspective of the primary and top bracts produced by a typical potted, flowering plant of ‘METEOR’, at 13 months of age.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up top view perspective of the inflorescence and top bracts produced by a typical potted, flowering plant of ‘METEOR’, at 13 months of age.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The present invention was created by the inventors, Elly Bak and Nicolaas D. M. Steur in 1997, and flowered for the first time in 2001 in Assendelft, The Netherlands.

This invention is directed to Guzmania plant having all the morphological and physiological characteristics of the hybrid ‘METEOR’ produced from seeds which are the product of the cross of the Guzmania blassii inbred line identified by code 97796126 (unpatented) as the female or seed parent with the Guzmania lingulata inbred line identified by code 97796143 (unpatented) as the male or pollen parent. Both parents have a sufficient degree of homozygosity such that the progeny of the cross were, and continue to be, phenotypically uniform. The new hybrid ‘METEOR’ can therefore be produced by sexual reproduction by crossing of the inbred selections identified by the codes 97796126 and 97796143 to produce a population of progeny plants, each of which has the combination of characteristics herein disclosed for the new hybrid ‘METEOR’.

The new hybrid ‘METEOR’ can also be produced by asexually reproducing progeny from the cross of the parental inbred lines identified by the codes 97796126 and 97796143. Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by vegetative means by cuttings was first performed in 2002, in Assendelft, The Netherlands. The first ‘METEOR’ plants propagated through the use of such cuttings flowered in 2003, in Assendelft, The Netherlands, and have demonstrated that the new cultivar reproduces true-to-type and that the combination of characteristics as herein disclosed for the new cultivar are firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be unique characteristics of ‘METEOR’ which in combination distinguish this Guzmania as a new and distinct cultivar:

-   -   1. Solid growth habit;     -   2. Funnel-form rosette plant, measuring about 42 cm to 48 cm in         height (above the pot when flowering);     -   3. Numerous, green color foliage, measuring about 32 cm to 38 cm         in length and about 3.4 cm to 4.6 cm in width;     -   4. Superior floral bract production;     -   5. Bracts have a unique, compound red inflorescence which         distinguishes this cultivar from typical Guzmania;     -   6. Compound inflorescence, measuring about 7 cm in height and         about 15 cm in diameter; and     -   7. Long-lasting habit.

Plants of the parental lines, 97796126 and 97796143 (both unpatented) are no longer available to provide a detailed botanical comparison with the new Guzmania hybrid ‘METEOR’.

Of the many commercial cultivars known to the present inventors, the most similar in comparison to the new Guzmania hybrid ‘METEOR’ is the Guzmania cultivar ‘CLARET’ (unpatented). Plants of the new hybrid ‘METEOR’ differ from plants of ‘CLARET’ primarily in inflorescence color. Plants of ‘METEOR’ produce inflorescence which are red (closest to RHS 46A) whereas plants of ‘CLARET’ produce inflorescence which are red (closest to RHS 53B).

‘METEOR’ has not been tested and observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype of the new cultivar may vary with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity, frequency of fertilization, composition of fertilizer, flowering treatment, day length and humidity, without any change in the genotype of the plant.

For example, substantial differences in plant height and diameter, number of leaves, can result depending on the size of the plant at the time that flowering is induced. Since treatment to induce flowering disrupts normal watering and fertilization regimens, treatment of relatively smaller plants adversely affects the growth of the plant.

The aforementioned photographs, together with the following observations, measurements and values describe the new Guzmania ‘METEOR’ as grown in a greenhouse in Assendelft, The Netherlands, under conditions which closely approximate those generally used in commercial practice. Plants of ‘METEOR’ were grown in a greenhouse with day temperatures ranging from 20° C. to 28° C. and night temperatures ranging from 18° C. to 23° C. No artificial lighting or photoperiodic treatments were conducted, but plants of ‘METEOR’ are forced into flowering. The following fertilizer is added when growing plants of ‘METEOR’: 1 part nitrogen, 0.6 parts phosphor, 2 parts Kalium and 0.1 parts magnesium.

Color references are made to the Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart (RHS), 2001 edition, except where general colors of ordinary significance are used. Color values were taken under daylight conditions in a greenhouse in Assendelft, The Netherlands. The age of the plants of ‘METEOR’ described is about 13 weeks after flowering treatment.

Classification:

-   Botanical: Guzmania sp.

Parentage:

-   Female Parent: Guzmania blassii inbred line identified by code     97796126 (unpatented) -   Male Parent: Guzmania lingulata inbred line identified by code     97796143 (unpatented)

Plant:

-   -   General Appearance and Form:         -   Height: About 42 cm to 48 cm (when flowering)         -   Width: About 60 cm         -   Shape: Funnel form rosette     -   Growth habit: Stemless     -   Plant Vigor: Good     -   Flowering Season: A fully grown plant can flower year round,         starting 13 to 14 weeks after induction of natural light or         trough flowering treatment.     -   Cold Tolerance: Frost tender. Temperatures below 5° C. may         damage plants.     -   Fragrance: None

Foliage:

-   -   Quantity: About 25 (depending on the size of the plant)     -   Size of Leaf:         -   Length: About 32 cm to 38 cm (when flowering)         -   Width: About 3.4 to 4.6 cm     -   Overall Shape: Linear-lanceolate     -   Apex Shape: Acute     -   Base Shape: Strap-like around central axis     -   Margin: Entire     -   Texture: Smooth     -   Orientation: Leaf blades arch continuously from base.     -   Color: Leaf color can vary somewhat depending on growing         conditions         -   Upper and Lower Surfaces:             -   Mature leaf: Green, RHS 137A             -   Immature leaf: Yellow-green, RHS 147B     -   Venation: None

Inflorescence:

-   Borne: Erect stalks -   Shape: Compound -   Size:     -   Length: About 7 cm     -   Diameter: About 13 cm to 17 cm -   Time of Bloom: A fully grown plant can produce an inflorescence     containing about 80 flowers (depending on the size of the plants),     and can bloom the whole year starting about 13 to 14 weeks after     natural induction or through flowering treatment. -   Duration of Bloom: Each flower blooms one (1) day and the total     blooming of the whole inflorescence is about five (5) weeks. -   Petals:     -   Number: 3 per flower     -   Length: About 4.0 cm to 4.5 cm     -   Width: About 0.5 cm     -   Overall Shape: Ligulate     -   Apex Shape: Obtuse     -   Base Shape: Fused     -   Color:         -   Upper and lower surfaces: Yellow, RHS 7A -   Sepals:     -   Number: 3 per flower     -   Length: About 2.0 cm to 2.5 cm     -   Width: About 0.3 cm     -   Overall Shape: Ligulate     -   Apex Shape: Acute     -   Base Shape: Fused     -   Color: Translucent, yellow, RHS 7A

Bracts:

-   Scape Bracts:     -   Quantity: About 12     -   Arrangement: Alternate     -   Size:     -   Length: About 24 cm (lowest) to about 12 cm (scape bracts         positioned just below the primary bracts).     -   Width: About 3.0 cm to 4.0 cm     -   Overall shape: Ovate, lanceolate     -   Apex shape: Acute     -   Base shape: Fused     -   Margin: Entire     -   Texture: Smooth     -   Color:         -   Upper surface: Primarily, green, RHS 137A, with red, RHS 46A         -   Lower surface: Primarily, yellow-green, RHS 147B, with red,             RHS 53B -   Primary Bracts:     -   Quantity: About 12     -   Arrangement: Alternate     -   Size:         -   Length: About 11 cm (lowest) to about 5 cm (primary bracts             become shorter closer to the top of plant)         -   Width: About 3.5 cm to 5.0 cm     -   Overall shape: Ovate, lanceolate     -   Apex shape: Acute     -   Base shape: Fused     -   Margin: Entire     -   Texture: Smooth     -   Color:         -   Upper surface: Red, RHS 46A         -   Lower surface: Red, RHS 53B -   Floral bracts: Disposed within the inflorescence.

Reproductive Organs

-   Androecium:     -   Stamen:         -   Number: 6 per flower         -   Length: About 3.0 cm         -   Diameter: Less than 1.0 mm         -   Color: White-cream (too small to distinguish RHS value)     -   Anther:         -   Length: About 0.5 cm         -   Color: White-cream (too small to distinguish RHS value)     -   Pollen:         -   Amount: Scarce         -   Color: White-cream (too small to distinguish RHS value) -   Gynoecium:     -   Pistil:         -   Number: 1 per flower         -   Length: About 3.0 cm     -   Stigma:         -   Shape: 3-parted         -   Width: About 1.0 mm         -   Color: White-cream (too small to distinguish RHS value)     -   Style:         -   Length: About 3.0 cm         -   Color: White-cream (too small to distinguish RHS value)     -   Ovary:         -   Position: Superior         -   Shape: Conical         -   Length: About 0.5 cm         -   Diameter: About 0.2 cm         -   Color: Yellow-green, RHS 149D

SEEDS/FRUIT: None made.

DISEASE/PEST RESISTANCE: No observations made.

DISEASE/PEST SUSCEPTIBILITY: No observations made. 

1. A Guzmania plant named ‘METEOR’, representative seed having been deposited at the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) with Patent Deposit Designation No.: PTA-9646.
 2. A Guzmania seed having American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) Patent Deposit Designation No.: PTA-9646.
 3. A plant part obtained from the Guzmania plant of claim
 1. 4. A method of producing Guzmania progeny plant comprising the steps of (a) crossing Guzmania ‘METEOR’ produced from seed accorded American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) Patent Deposit Designation No.: PTA-9646 as a female or male parent with another Guzmania plant, and (b) selecting progeny.
 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the second Guzmania plant is ‘METEOR’. 